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'Dancing with Zapatistas' : Area man speaks of life in Chiapas
By Matt Kapko
Community editor
The Lumberjack
03-27-2002
Michael Fles, Westhaven resident, made connections with the indigenous peoples of Chiapas, Mexico, which many people will never experience, because of its remote location.
Fles moved to San Cristobal, Mexico, 30 years ago. He had been doing music therapy in Vancouver, Canada. He said he felt that is was time to move someplace new to be at peace with himself and his son.
He decided to go to the state of Chiapas to play music with who he passionately refered to as the Indians living in the highlands.
San Cristobal is located in the middle of the jungle and is utilized as the center for the dozens of Indian villages situated higher above.
"There's a kind of rivalry between the Indian villages, but there are many instances in which they had to work together," Fles said.
Fles said he had dreams of setting up a scenario in which he could play music with the Indians.
His dreams began to take hold after receiving a letter of permission from the Secretary of Indian Affairs in Chiapas that allowed him to enter Indian villages.
He began visiting different villages almost every week. He usually arrived in the villages on Sundays to attend their markets and to set up his instruments.
"I tried to do these workshops in the highest state of consciousness," Fles said, referring to his use of drugs prior to the performances.
He said he found the use of mushrooms and peyote to be extremely beneficial in understanding the tiny nuances of the people, sharing in their humor as well as helping with endurance and concentration.
As his workshops progressed, Fles began to hire the Indians to conduct concerts with him from dusk to dawn.
The Indians usually made their own instruments and used an alcoholic beverage for stimulation.
The governor of Chiapas gave Fles a school to teach music while Fles's wife did paintings and art.
Fles conducted a music performance for the people in jail in Tuxtla, one of the Indian villages. Fles said he enjoyed performing for the prisoners and was delighted to bring music to them.
He also had the opportunity to record in caves and gave a slideshow presentation of the caves and the music in San Cristobal.
When a new governor came to office, Fles and his wife were kicked out of the school because the new government felt it didn't need any "gringos" working in its schools, he said.
Fles and his family then flew into the Lancandon Rain Forest. Fles gave all of his instruments to the people of Lancandon, and they started playing music together.
Today, Chiapas is the center of the Indian uprising under the guidance of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation.
It is from the Lancandon jungle where the Zapatistas sent their declaration of war on Jan. 1, 1994.
In the declaration they said, "We are a product of 500 years of struggle... . They don't care that we have nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a roof over our heads, no land, no work, no health care, no food nor education. Nor are we able to freely and democratically elect our political representatives, nor is there independence from foreigners, nor is there peace nor justice for ourselves and our children. But today, we say enough is enough."
The Zapatistas went on to say that they were left with no choice but to fight for their freedom and declared war on the Mexican army.
"It is absolutely true there is a lot of corruption," Fles said about the conditions of life for the Indians living in Chiapas.
Fles collaborated on, "Ninos de la Selva," a film that focuses on the interaction with the children from the Lancandon Rain Forest.
Fles and his family's time in the Lancandon was the final project of their five-year stay in Chiapas.
He celebrated the 30-year anniversary of his arrival in San Cristobal with a talk titled, "Dancing with Zapatistas: Music in the Highlands of Chiapas in the '70s," at the Redwood Peace and Justice Center in Arcata on March 9.
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